Grants to help imperiled wildlife

Nearly $800,000 in grants will fund research in North Carolina that investigates threats to various aquatic species and habitats in the state.

Through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and matching resources from local partners, nearly $700,000 will go toward a project that seeks to study the effects of contaminants in the water and food of the robust redhorse. The large fish is found in only three river drainages in the Southeast, mostly in the piedmont and coastal plains areas, and is listed as an endangered species in North Carolina.

Another state project received nearly $100,000 in funding to analyze and map conservation opportunity areas based on habitat threats such as urban growth, pollution, and impacts from climate change. The information will be published online for the public.

The two projects were funded as part of a recent round of grants to help imperiled species. More than $8 million was awarded across 11 states through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s competitive State Wildlife Grants program. The grants focus on large-scale conservation projects yielding measurable results.